Ford Mustang, F-150 Are Dependable According To J.D. Power Results

J.D. Power is the foremost authority on reliability and dependability. So receiving accolades from this unbiased organization is something to crow about. Ford is excited to have received gains and positive improvement on the 2020 J.D. Power Vehicle Dependability Study. This study involves vehicles from the 2017 model year.

One of the biggest areas that Ford improved upon was in their infotainment system. With the Sync 3 system jumping six spots from last year’s study Ford now ranks third overall among all automakers for dependability. I recently wrote about Ford’s Sync system and the coming Sync 4 system as well. Read that story here.

According to the report, Ford, as a brand, climbed five spots to fifth place among non-premium brands and Lincoln jumped three spots to number four among premium brands. Lincoln has been on a quite roll over the last several years and has helped Ford gain momentum overall in these ratings.

“For us, high quality means more than a great experience in the first few months of ownership; it includes a great experience throughout a customer’s ownership journey, and these results affirm our commitment to building high-quality vehicles,” said Linda Cash, Ford vice president of Quality and New Model Launch Program. “This commitment now includes continuous improvements, like over-the-air-updates via WiFi, which keep SYNC 3 systems fresh.”

Is the Ford F-150 reliable?
According to the J.D. Power dependability study, the answer is yes. The 2017 Ford F-150 tops the large light-duty pickup truck segment for reliability and dependability. The J.D. Power study measures problems experienced during the past 12 months by original owners of three-year-old model-year vehicles. The Ford F-Series last year capped its 43rd straight year as America’s best-selling pickup truck.

Some of the common issues owners have expressed were with glitches with the infotainment systems, including slow-to-respond touchscreens and voice recognition failures. The Sync 3 system made vast improvements in these areas and likely account for the gain. As such, the 2017 Ford F-150 sits atop the dependability list in the Large Light-Duty Pickup category.

Is the Ford Mustang reliable?
J.D. Power categorizes the Mustang as a sporty midsize car. I recently wrote an article trying to define the Mustang as a sports car or a muscle car. For the sake of this survey, the Mustang is a sporty midsize car and it received the highest ranking in this category. So, according to J.D. Power, yes, the 2017 Ford Mustang is incredibly dependable and reliable.

The Ford Mustang was the best-selling sports coupe in the country for the third consecutive year, and obviously remains one of the most iconic cars in automotive history. It’s now in its 56th consecutive year of production, which is longer than any other vehicle in automotive history.

Amongst J.D. Power’s complete list of dependable car brands, they ranked 32 brands (Tesla was not included as Tesla did not cooperate with J.D. Power’s demands and standards). Ford finished 10th on the list and had two vehicles make the top ranking, the aforementioned F-150 and the Mustang.

Jimmy Dinsmore has been an automotive journalist for more than a decade and been a writer since the high school. His Driver’s Side column features new car reviews and runs in several newspapers throughout the country. He is also co-author of the book “Mustang by Design” and “Ford Trucks: A Unique Look at the Technical History of America’s Most Popular Truck”. Also, Jimmy works in the social media marketing world for a Canadian automotive training aid manufacturing company. Follow Jimmy on Facebook, Twitter, at his special Ford F-150 coverage on Twitter and LinkedIn. You can read the most of Jimmy's stories by searching Torque News Ford for daily Ford vehicle report.